Playing Tough

When you pick up a 7-2 offsuit, do you automatically toss the hand? Or, do you routinely look around and check out the table? Even some of the best poker players sometimes fail to capitalize on opportunity.

When I was first learning to play poker, my wise old mentor taught me that the "smart money" always waits for good starting hands. At MIT, a math genius/poker theorist showed me proof that if you play only starting hands that are 5 percent better than the average minimum starting hand of the other players, you can expect to make about a 10 percent to 20 percent profit on your long-run investment (making several assumptions).

All good poker players know it is usually correct to wait for a good starting hand before investing money. But, usually is not always. Perhaps as often as two or three times a session, there are opportunities to pick up the antes when the cards you happen to hold in your hand is secondary. Although you can win some money by playing only premium hands, you are probably throwing away money by missing obvious (to some) opportunities.

There are times when it is "correct" to voluntarily play any hand, even a 7-2 offsuit. Suppose the big blind on your left is away from the table and everyone folds around to you. Or, suppose the blind(s) sitting on your left telegraphs that he (they) is anxious to fold his hand.

While playing hold'em, we all have observed players who look at their two cards and either raise or shift them to their "I'm going to play these" position, or fold them up as if they can hardly wait to toss them away. Players who consistently "telegraph" their intentions are worth some number of dollars per session to you.

Is playing a bad hand under the right circumstances part of your game plan? When you get some favorable vibes from observing the player(s) on your left, that is often the optimum time for a speculative move. Note that making a big move also sends a message that you are playing tough, and it might help you get callers when you have a good hand.

For years I have been playing basketball on Tuesday nights with my "over the hill gang" (we're all over 35). When we first started playing, we were more relaxed and would not start defending until the opposing team crossed half-court. But recently, the game has become fiercely competitive, and we all apply full-court pressure as soon as the ball is put into play. We certainly get more turnovers when we play tough and "try to make something happen."

In many sports, there are times and situations when it is necessary to depart from the normal or conservative/safe strategies by gambling and trying to make something happen. In baseball there is stealing bases, and in football there are onside kicks and "Hail Mary" passes. In poker, it is always good to grab extra chips when you can, but there are certain times when desperation strongly suggests making a move.

For example, in no-limit hold'em poker tournaments, when your stack dwindles down to about three times the amount of both blinds, you know that after posting your next blinds, you will no longer have enough chips to dissuade opponents from calling your all-in bet. And that, of course, would greatly lessen your chances of surviving. Thus, you are in a pressure situation in which you must strain to go all in before your next big blind while you still have enough chips to increase your chances of grabbing the blinds/antes.

When you are under pressure to make your big move, scoping out opponents becomes critically important. One of the most significant differences between casino tournaments and online tournaments is that in online tournaments, you have no downstream "telegraph" information – which is especially important when you are in these pressure situations. Otherwise put, when the going gets tough, it certainly helps to have something going for you.

The flop is 9 8 6. Your opponent holds the 9 7 and has just called your all-in bet. Would you rather have the A J or the A 10u?

Hint: It is very close, but one of the hands is a slight favorite to win (that is, greater than 50 percent), whereas the other is a slight underdog. Do you understand why?

The answer is on Page 110 in the magazine.